Short Circuit reboot with 'Latinx twist' boots up from Spyglass Media Group, Scream 5 producers

Short Circuit, the 1986 classic about a government robot that gains sentience after being struck by lightning, is getting a jolt of the modern remake treatment. Per Deadline, Spyglass Media Group is developing the project alongside Scream 5 producers James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein, and William Sherak of Project X Entertainment. Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman have been tapped to pen the screenplay and infuse the reimagining with "a Latinx twist," reads the report. 

The screenwriting duo is known for the Eugenio Derbez-directed Instructions Not Included from 2013. John W. Hyde (Flight of the Navigator, The Lost Boys) who executive produced the '86 version, will return to produce the upcoming remake. Terissa Kelton is also attached as a producer. Back in August of this year, it was confirmed that Project X Entertainment was working on a remake of another classic IP: The Nutty Professor.

Released in May of 1986, the original Short Circuit was directed by Saturday Night Fever's John Badham. The cast featured Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton, and G. W. Bailey. The real standout, however, was Number or "Johnny" 5, the lovable robot (voiced by Tim Blaney) that charmed hundreds of audience members. Of course, Number 5 came first, but fans have noted the strong similarities between Short Circuit's mechanical hero and that of Pixar's WALL-E. The first movie's script was penned by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, both of whom would go on to have a hand in writing Barry Sonnenfeld's infamous take on Wild Wild West over a decade later.

With a budge of $15 million, the original film brought in a little over $40 million at the North American box office. A sequel, directed by Kenneth Johnson, was released two years later, but wasn't nearly as successful. Wilson and Maddock returned to write the script. Blaney and Stevens were the only cast members to reprise their roles for the follow-up, which also starred Michael McKean, Cynthia Gibb, and Jack Weston.